The ground collapsed, Onix was the first to fall.
Cubone instinctively backed away, but the collapse moved far too quickly.
At the same time, the spot Haruki was standing on also began to give way. Thankfully, he was near the edge and barely managed to slide down instead of falling freely.
"Cubone, return!"
In that moment of danger, Haruki pulled out the Poké Ball and, at the last second, returned the falling Cubone into it.
As for himself, he slid helplessly down into the depths.
One arm shielding his head, the other clawing desperately at the rock wall to slow his descent. Even with fingertips scraped raw, nails ripped away, Haruki didn't dare let go.
It felt like forever, or maybe only a blink.
Finally, his feet struck something solid with a jolt, and everything around him went quiet.
''Pleh! Ptuh, ptuh!''
Brushing dirt from his face and head, Haruki staggered to his feet in a mess of dust.
Thankfully, the spot he'd landed on was a relatively flat slab of stone. Aside from a numb tingle in his legs, he'd miraculously avoided injury.
Pop!
The Poké Ball burst open, Cubone came rushing out on its own.
Seeing Haruki covered in dust and blood, with the skin on his left arm mangled, Cubone's eyes immediately went red.
"I'm okay, Cubone. Help me get some water and Potion from the bag."
Haruki grimaced through a crooked smile, his teeth almost glowing white in the dim cave.
Cubone silently nodded and carefully removed the portable pack from Haruki's belt, retrieving the water and Potion.
"Twist off the cap- Yeah, rinse the wound for me."
As Haruki spoke, Cubone was already mimicking him precisely. It had seen Haruki do this often enough to know exactly what to do.
The purified water flowed over the wound, the coolness soothing some of the pain.
But when the Potion was applied… even Haruki couldn't help but hiss in pain.
Cubone stayed silent the whole time, but the sound of Haruki sucking in air made its little hands tremble.
"It's just a scratch. Once the potion kicks in, I'll be fine."
Enduring the worst of the sting, Haruki's pale face tried to reassure Cubone. He knew how tormented it must be feeling inside.
Sure enough, Cubone kept its head down, crushed with guilt.
"If I hadn't protected you just now, we wouldn't have a chance of getting out of here."
Haruki reached out with his right hand and gently patted Cubone's skull. "Look around."
Cubone looked up and realized they had fallen into a deep pit.
Though light still trickled in from above, the rock walls were practically vertical. There was no way to climb out.
Especially with Haruki's injured arm.
As for Onix, who had fallen with them… there was no sign of it. It was unclear whether it had escaped or been buried.
"There's a tunnel over there. Maybe it leads somewhere. Let's take our time and find a way out."
Haruki pointed toward the left, a pitch-black tunnel that looked like it could swallow them whole.
"Cubone!"
Now that there was hope, Cubone was no longer so downcast. It just wanted to find a way out fast so Haruki could get proper help.
Click!
The flashlight flicked on, casting a thin beam into the pitch-black cave.
Thankfully, thanks to Team Rocket's field training, Haruki had prepared the necessary survival gear and supplies.
The cave was dead silent, but where there were tunnels, there could be wild Pokémon. Cubone's guard was already fully up.
Screee scree scree~
Suddenly, several blue-purple shapes flew toward Haruki and Cubone; it was a group of startled Zubat.
"Cubone!"
A jagged stone shot forward, one Zubat was knocked down instantly, while the rest panicked and scattered in all directions.
''A bunch of extremely timid Zubat.''
But the one Zubat that had been knocked down squeaked twice before vanishing. It had been rescued by its companions.
Haruki took back what he had just said.
They were a bunch of timid, yet loyal Zubat.
Still, seeing the Zubat made Haruki breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
Though Zubat lived deep in caves, they would fly out at night to hunt, meaning there was a strong possibility of an exit.
Too bad he didn't catch one, otherwise it could've helped lead the way.
They pressed onward.
After walking for about ten minutes, the cave twisted and dipped unpredictably. Haruki was now completely disoriented.
Along the way, they encountered two or three forks. To minimize the risk of getting lost, Haruki always chose the left path and marked it.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, his flashlight illuminated an iron-gray rock with several irregular holes in it.
Then, the rock twitched slightly, and a pair of blue eyes opened within those holes.
Aron!
There were Aron living inside this mountain!
Haruki was shocked but didn't dare make any sudden moves. Under normal circumstances, Aron lived in groups.
He slowly shifted the flashlight deeper… and sure enough, more "iron-gray rocks" appeared in his line of sight.
No doubt about it. It was a whole group of Aron.
"Cubone, retreat."
Haruki swallowed and whispered, then dimmed the flashlight as much as possible to avoid provoking the Aron.
The one that had woken up just stared in confusion at Haruki and Cubone as they quietly backed away.
Haruki exhaled deeply in relief. His luck may not have been good, but at least it hadn't been disastrous.
Only once they retreated to the nearest fork, and still heard no movement from the Aron, did Haruki finally let himself relax.
Cubone's little face had been tense the whole time. It had even been mentally prepared to stay behind and cover Haruki's escape.
Haruki left a deep mark on the wall, then silently chose the other path.
After what had just happened, he didn't even dare to turn the flashlight up. He kept it just bright enough to avoid tripping.
"Cubone, stay alert to anything you feel through the ground. If something seems wrong, stop me immediately."
"Cubone~"
Cubone nodded, its short tail already touching the ground; its most sensitive point for detecting vibrations.
And from behind them, out of sight, a small figure had quietly started tailing them.
Ten minutes later, Haruki and Cubone reached a dead end. Even after checking the deepest point, there was nothing.
Helpless, they could only turn back and look for another route.
The Pokémon following them seemed unwilling to be discovered. It expertly dug a hole and buried itself.
"Cubone?"
Cubone paused and swept its tail across the ground, but quickly lost the signal.
"What's up, Cubone?"
Cubone hesitated. Thinking it was just its imagination, it said nothing.
They turned back once more and chose a new fork, carefully probing every route to ensure they didn't miss a possible exit.
Another half hour passed, and once again, Haruki and Cubone encountered a roadblock.
Seeing the Loudred asleep ahead of them, Haruki felt both excitement and anxiety.
Loudred and Zubat appearing one after another gave Haruki renewed confidence.
But Loudred were naturally irritable, and if woken, their aggression could double. And in this enclosed space, sound-based moves would become even more powerful.
A frontal assault was not ideal. Yet the intermittent breeze coming from this passage made Haruki unwilling to give it up.
No… he had to go for it!